cloudkit

CloudKit

Sync data across devices using CloudKit, iCloud key-value storage, and iCloud
Drive. Covers container setup, record CRUD, queries, subscriptions, CKSyncEngine,
SwiftData integration, conflict resolution, and error handling. Targets iOS 26+
with Swift 6.3; older availability noted where relevant.

Contents

Container and Database Setup

CKRecord CRUD

CKQuery

CKSubscription

CKSyncEngine (iOS 17+)

SwiftData + CloudKit

NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore

iCloud Drive File Sync

Account Status and Error Handling

Conflict Resolution

Common Mistakes

Review Checklist

References

Container and Database Setup

Enable iCloud + CloudKit in Signing & Capabilities. A container provides three databases:

Database
Scope
Requires iCloud
Storage Quota

Public
All users
Read: No, Write: Yes
App quota

Private
Current user
Yes
User quota

Shared
Shared records
Yes
Owner quota

import CloudKit

let container = CKContainer.default()
// Or named: CKContainer(identifier: "iCloud.com.example.app")

let publicDB  = container.publicCloudDatabase
let privateDB = container.privateCloudDatabase
let sharedDB  = container.sharedCloudDatabase

CKRecord CRUD

Records are key-value pairs. Max 1 MB per record (excluding CKAsset data).

// CREATE
let record = CKRecord(recordType: "Note")
record["title"] = "Meeting Notes" as CKRecordValue
record["body"] = "Discussed Q3 roadmap" as CKRecordValue
record["createdAt"] = Date() as CKRecordValue
record["tags"] = ["work", "planning"] as CKRecordValue
let saved = try await privateDB.save(record)

// FETCH by ID
let recordID = CKRecord.ID(recordName: "unique-id-123")
let fetched = try await privateDB.record(for: recordID)

// UPDATE -- fetch first, modify, then save
fetched["title"] = "Updated Title" as CKRecordValue
let updated = try await privateDB.save(fetched)

// DELETE
try await privateDB.deleteRecord(withID: recordID)

Custom Record Zones

Apps create custom zones in the private database. Shared databases expose zones
that other users share with the current user. Custom zones support atomic
commits, change tracking, and sharing; public databases do not support custom
zones.

let zoneID = CKRecordZone.ID(zoneName: "NotesZone")
let zone = CKRecordZone(zoneID: zoneID)
try await privateDB.save(zone)

let recordID = CKRecord.ID(recordName: UUID().uuidString, zoneID: zoneID)
let record = CKRecord(recordType: "Note", recordID: recordID)

CKQuery

Query records with NSPredicate. Supported: ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=,
BEGINSWITH, CONTAINS, IN, AND, NOT, BETWEEN,
distanceToLocation:fromLocation:.

CONTAINS tests list membership except for tokenized full-text search with
self CONTAINS. BEGINSWITH is the string-prefix operator; unsupported
operators, key paths, or field types fail when the query executes.
For every encryption review, explicitly call out field eligibility: encrypted
values cannot be queried or sorted; CKAsset is encrypted by default; and
CKRecord.Reference cannot be encrypted because CloudKit needs it server-side.

let predicate = NSPredicate(format: "title BEGINSWITH %@", "Meeting")
let query = CKQuery(recordType: "Note", predicate: predicate)
query.sortDescriptors = [NSSortDescriptor(key: "createdAt", ascending: false)]

let (results, _) = try await privateDB.records(matching: query)
for (_, result) in results {
    let record = try result.get()
    print(record["title"] as? String ?? "")
}

// Fetch all records of a type
let allQuery = CKQuery(recordType: "Note", predicate: NSPredicate(value: true))

// Full-text search across string fields
let searchQuery = CKQuery(
    recordType: "Note",
    predicate: NSPredicate(format: "self CONTAINS %@", "roadmap")
)

// Compound predicate
let compound = NSCompoundPredicate(andPredicateWithSubpredicates: [
    NSPredicate(format: "createdAt > %@", cutoffDate as NSDate),
    NSPredicate(format: "tags CONTAINS %@", "work")
])

CKSubscription

Subscriptions trigger push notifications when records change server-side.
CloudKit/Xcode handles the APNs entitlement when CloudKit is enabled; no
separate explicit App ID push setup is needed. Silent/background processing
still needs Background Modes > Remote notifications.

// Query subscription -- fires when matching records change
let subscription = CKQuerySubscription(
    recordType: "Note",
    predicate: NSPredicate(format: "tags CONTAINS %@", "urgent"),
    subscriptionID: "urgent-notes",
    options: [.firesOnRecordCreation, .firesOnRecordUpdate]
)
let notifInfo = CKSubscription.NotificationInfo()
notifInfo.shouldSendContentAvailable = true  // silent push
subscription.notificationInfo = notifInfo
try await privateDB.save(subscription)

// Database subscription -- fires on any database change
let dbSub = CKDatabaseSubscription(subscriptionID: "private-db-changes")
dbSub.notificationInfo = notifInfo
try await privateDB.save(dbSub)

// Record zone subscription -- fires on changes within a zone
let zoneSub = CKRecordZoneSubscription(
    zoneID: CKRecordZone.ID(zoneName: "NotesZone"),
    subscriptionID: "notes-zone-changes"
)
zoneSub.notificationInfo = notifInfo
try await privateDB.save(zoneSub)

Handle in AppDelegate:

func application(
    _ application: UIApplication,
    didReceiveRemoteNotification userInfo: [AnyHashable: Any]
) async -> UIBackgroundFetchResult {
    let notification = CKNotification(fromRemoteNotificationDictionary: userInfo)
    guard notification?.subscriptionID == "private-db-changes" else { return .noData }
    // Fetch changes using CKSyncEngine or CKFetchRecordZoneChangesOperation
    return .newData
}

CKSyncEngine (iOS 17+)

CKSyncEngine is the recommended sync approach for custom model data. It
handles scheduling, transient retries, change tokens, and database
subscriptions, but not app-specific save failures: CKError.serverRecordChanged
from sentRecordZoneChanges.failedRecordSaves still requires custom conflict
resolution and rescheduling. Automatic sync timing is indeterminate. Requires
CloudKit capability + Remote notifications; private/shared databases only.

import CloudKit

final class SyncManager: CKSyncEngineDelegate {
    let syncEngine: CKSyncEngine

    init(container: CKContainer = .default()) {
        let config = CKSyncEngine.Configuration(
            database: container.privateCloudDatabase,
            stateSerialization: Self.loadState(),
            delegate: self
        )
        self.syncEngine = CKSyncEngine(config)
    }

    func handleEvent(_ event: CKSyncEngine.Event, syncEngine: CKSyncEngine) async {
        switch event {
        case .stateUpdate(let update):
            Self.saveState(update.stateSerialization)
        case .accountChange(let change):
            handleAccountChange(change)
        case .fetchedRecordZoneChanges(let changes):
            for mod in changes.modifications { processRemoteRecord(mod.record) }
            for del in changes.deletions { processRemoteDeletion(del.recordID) }
        case .sentRecordZoneChanges(let sent):
            for saved in sent.savedRecords { markSynced(saved) }
            for fail in sent.failedRecordSaves { handleSaveFailure(fail) }
        default: break
        }
    }

    func nextRecordZoneChangeBatch(
        _ context: CKSyncEngine.SendChangesContext,
        syncEngine: CKSyncEngine
    ) async -> CKSyncEngine.RecordZoneChangeBatch? {
        let pending = syncEngine.state.pendingRecordZoneChanges
            .filter { context.options.zoneIDs.contains($0) }
        return await CKSyncEngine.RecordZoneChangeBatch(
            pendingChanges: pending
        ) { recordID in self.recordToSend(for: recordID) }
    }
}

// Schedule changes
let zoneID = CKRecordZone.ID(zoneName: "NotesZone")
let recordID = CKRecord.ID(recordName: noteID, zoneID: zoneID)
syncEngine.state.add(pendingRecordZoneChanges: [.saveRecord(recordID)])

// Trigger immediate sync (pull-to-refresh)
try await syncEngine.fetchChanges()
try await syncEngine.sendChanges()

Key point: persist stateSerialization across launches; the engine needs it
to resume from the correct change token.

SwiftData + CloudKit

ModelConfiguration supports CloudKit sync. In every SwiftData CloudKit
implementation or review, always report two verdicts:

Model compatibility: no #Unique or unique constraints, optional
relationships, no .deny, and external storage for large Data.

Schema rollout: initialize the development schema in nonproduction builds,
verify it in CloudKit Dashboard, promote it before release, and after
production promotion only add schema; don't delete model types or change
existing attributes.

import SwiftData

@Model
class Note {
    var title: String
    var body: String?
    var createdAt: Date?
    @Attribute(.externalStorage) var imageData: Data?

    init(title: String, body: String? = nil) {
        self.title = title
        self.body = body
        self.createdAt = Date()
    }
}

let config = ModelConfiguration(
    "Notes",
    cloudKitDatabase: .private("iCloud.com.example.app")
)
let container = try ModelContainer(for: Note.self, configurations: config)

NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore

Simple key-value sync. Max 1024 keys, 1 MB total, 1 MB per value. Stores
locally when iCloud is unavailable.

let kvStore = NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore.default

// Write
kvStore.set("dark", forKey: "theme")
kvStore.set(14.0, forKey: "fontSize")
kvStore.set(true, forKey: "notificationsEnabled")
kvStore.synchronize()

// Read
let theme = kvStore.string(forKey: "theme") ?? "system"

// Observe external changes
NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(
    forName: NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore.didChangeExternallyNotification,
    object: kvStore, queue: .main
) { notification in
    guard let userInfo = notification.userInfo,
          let reason = userInfo[NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreChangeReasonKey] as? Int,
          let keys = userInfo[NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreChangedKeysKey] as? [String]
    else { return }

    switch reason {
    case NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreServerChange:
        for key in keys { applyRemoteChange(key: key) }
    case NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreInitialSyncChange:
        reloadAllSettings()
    case NSUbiquitousKeyValueStoreQuotaViolationChange:
        handleQuotaExceeded()
    default: break
    }
}

iCloud Drive File Sync

Use FileManager ubiquity APIs for document-level sync. Call
url(forUbiquityContainerIdentifier:) and setUbiquitous off the main thread;
setUbiquitous performs coordinated file work and can block. If the app is
presenting the file, configure an active file presenter before moving it.

Task.detached {
    guard let ubiquityURL = FileManager.default.url(
        forUbiquityContainerIdentifier: "iCloud.com.example.app"
    ) else { return }  // iCloud not available

    let docsURL = ubiquityURL.appendingPathComponent("Documents")
    try FileManager.default.createDirectory(at: docsURL, withIntermediateDirectories: true)
    let cloudURL = docsURL.appendingPathComponent("report.pdf")
    try FileManager.default.setUbiquitous(true, itemAt: localURL, destinationURL: cloudURL)
}

Monitor files with NSMetadataQuery scoped to
NSMetadataQueryUbiquitousDocumentsScope or
NSMetadataQueryUbiquitousDataScope.

Account Status and Error Handling

Always check account status before sync. Listen for .CKAccountChanged.

func checkiCloudStatus() async throws -> CKAccountStatus {
    let status = try await CKContainer.default().accountStatus()
    switch status {
    case .available: return status
    case .noAccount: throw SyncError.noiCloudAccount
    case .restricted: throw SyncError.restricted
    case .temporarilyUnavailable: throw SyncError.temporarilyUnavailable
    case .couldNotDetermine: throw SyncError.unknown
    @unknown default: throw SyncError.unknown
    }
}

CKError Handling

Error Code
Strategy

.networkFailure, .networkUnavailable
Queue for retry when network returns

.serverRecordChanged
Three-way merge (see Conflict Resolution)

.requestRateLimited, .zoneBusy, .serviceUnavailable
Retry after retryAfterSeconds

.quotaExceeded
Notify user; reduce data usage

.notAuthenticated
Prompt iCloud sign-in

.partialFailure
Inspect partialErrorsByItemID per item

.changeTokenExpired
Reset token, refetch all changes

.userDeletedZone
Recreate zone and re-upload data

func handleCloudKitError(_ error: Error) {
    guard let ckError = error as? CKError else { return }
    switch ckError.code {
    case .networkFailure, .networkUnavailable:
        scheduleRetryWhenOnline()
    case .serverRecordChanged:
        resolveConflict(ckError)
    case .requestRateLimited, .zoneBusy, .serviceUnavailable:
        let delay = ckError.retryAfterSeconds ?? 3.0
        scheduleRetry(after: delay)
    case .quotaExceeded:
        notifyUserStorageFull()
    case .partialFailure:
        if let partial = ckError.partialErrorsByItemID {
            for (_, itemError) in partial { handleCloudKitError(itemError) }
        }
    case .changeTokenExpired:
        resetChangeToken()
    case .userDeletedZone:
        recreateZoneAndResync()
    default: logError(ckError)
    }
}

Conflict Resolution

When saving a record that changed server-side, CloudKit returns
.serverRecordChanged with three record versions. Always merge into
serverRecord -- it has the correct change tag.

func resolveConflict(_ error: CKError) {
    guard error.code == .serverRecordChanged,
          let ancestor = error.ancestorRecord,
          let client = error.clientRecord,
          let server = error.serverRecord
    else { return }

    // Merge client changes into server record
    for key in client.changedKeys() {
        if server[key] == ancestor[key] {
            server[key] = client[key]           // Server unchanged, use client
        } else if client[key] == ancestor[key] {
            // Client unchanged, keep server (already there)
        } else {
            server[key] = mergeValues(          // Both changed, custom merge
                ancestor: ancestor[key], client: client[key], server: server[key])
        }
    }

    Task { try await CKContainer.default().privateCloudDatabase.save(server) }
}

Common Mistakes

DON'T: Perform sync operations without checking account status.
DO: Check CKContainer.accountStatus() first; handle .noAccount.

// WRONG
try await privateDB.save(record)
// CORRECT
guard try await CKContainer.default().accountStatus() == .available
else { throw SyncError.noiCloudAccount }
try await privateDB.save(record)

DON'T: Ignore .serverRecordChanged errors.
DO: Implement three-way merge using ancestor, client, and server records.

DON'T: Store user-specific data in the public database.
DO: Use private database for personal data; public only for app-wide content.

DON'T: Poll for changes on a timer.
DO: Use CKDatabaseSubscription or CKSyncEngine for push-based sync.

// WRONG
Timer.scheduledTimer(withTimeInterval: 30, repeats: true) { _ in fetchAll() }
// CORRECT
let sub = CKDatabaseSubscription(subscriptionID: "db-changes")
sub.notificationInfo = CKSubscription.NotificationInfo()
sub.notificationInfo?.shouldSendContentAvailable = true
try await privateDB.save(sub)

DON'T: Retry immediately on rate limiting.
DO: Use CKError.retryAfterSeconds to wait the required duration.

DON'T: Assume CKSyncEngine handles .serverRecordChanged conflicts for you.
DO: Resolve failedRecordSaves with a three-way merge, then reschedule the save.

DON'T: Pass nil change token on every fetch.
DO: Persist change tokens to disk and supply them on subsequent fetches.

Review Checklist

 iCloud + CloudKit capability enabled in Signing & Capabilities

 Account status checked before sync; .noAccount handled gracefully

 Private database used for user data; public only for shared content

 Custom record zones created in private DB; shared DB zones discovered from shares

 CKError.serverRecordChanged handled with three-way merge into serverRecord

 Network failures queued for retry; retryAfterSeconds respected

 CKDatabaseSubscription or CKSyncEngine used for push-based sync; Remote notifications enabled for background delivery

 Change tokens persisted to disk; changeTokenExpired resets and refetches

 .partialFailure errors inspected per-item via partialErrorsByItemID

 .userDeletedZone handled by recreating zone and resyncing

 SwiftData CloudKit review reports model compatibility and schema rollout: initialized/verified development schema, promoted before release, and additive-only production changes

 NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore.didChangeExternallyNotification observed

 Encryption review says CKRecord.Reference cannot use encryptedValues because CloudKit needs it server-side; no query/sort on encrypted fields; CKAsset is encrypted by default

 CKSyncEngine state serialization persisted across launches (iOS 17+)

References

See references/cloudkit-patterns.md for incremental sync, CKShare, zones, CKAsset storage, batch operations, and Dashboard usage.

CloudKit Framework

CKContainer

CKRecord

CKQuery

CKSubscription

CKSyncEngine

CKShare

CKError

NSUbiquitousKeyValueStore

SwiftData CloudKit sync